Maria Maile

[more photos]

Maria is an astute businesswoman with a long history of ventures, from cooking for students at the University of Cape Town to a project training florists in the township ('but', she says, 'Khayelitsha is not a place for flowers'). She started her B&B in 1998 after taking part in a cultural tourism course, and hasn't looked back despite the hard work she's had to put in along the way. Her brightly decorated house is filled with family photographs and treasures, with an open-plan kitchen from which Maria dishes up a traditional feast of samp, beans, lamb stew and her famous dumplings. For breakfast she's happy to provide a 'full English' and even freshly baked flapjacks. She and her family and friends show guests around their neighbourhood, from drinks at the local shebeen (informal bar) to Sunday church services.
(Host description from the Lonely Planet)